Page 42 - Hemas_Piyawara_Book

“Those days, government funds allocated to all areas falling under the ministry
including the Children’s Secretariat were inadequate,” he says, explaining that initially
it came under the Ministry of Social Services and later the Ministry of Women and
Child Affairs under Minister Tissa Karaliyadda. The Children's Secretariat was headed
by Yamuna Perera.
The umbrella of ECCD sheltered a wide range of activities such as the development of
preschools; establishment of standards; appointment of suitable preschool teachers;
work of public health midwives who were deployed under the Medical Officers
of Health (MOHs) and other state officials working with children; home-based
public awareness programmes; and the commemoration of Children’s Day on October
st
1 , annually.
Reliving the scenes he encountered in the early 2000s, Sunil says that most preschools
were held in the village’s place of worship such as a temple or church. They had minimal
facilities.
“When the Hemas Group sought ideas how to support a national-level initiative
Mr. Abbas Esufally hands over a token of recognition to Mr. Sunil Samaraweera (above) at Piyawara’s as a PPP, we asked whether it could help with preschool teacher training and
th
10 anniversary in 2012 in Colombo. In a photo clicked at the event are (from left) Dr. Sudarshini also developing and providing facilities for 10 preschools operating under the
Fernandopulle, Ms. Indrani Sugathadasa, Ms. Shiromi Masakorala, Ms. Sumedha G. Jayasena & Mr. Tissa local government authorities in 10 districts initially,” says Sunil, reiterating that
Karaliyadda (below).
the reply was a wholehearted “yes”.
He says that whereas the government with its financial burdens could allocate only
Rs. 2 million for the Children’s Secretariat per year, the Hemas Group generously
provided Rs. 5 million for each model preschool.
“Piyawara also helped make stronger bonds among the different stakeholders who had
a say with regard to children including the Ministries of Women and Child Affairs,
Education, Provincial Councils & Local Government and Health at central government
level and the Provincial Education Ministries which monitored and evaluated ECCD,”
he points out.
It was during this time that the tsunami engulfed Sri Lanka’s coastal areas and Sunil
recalls those terrible times when “barapathala vidihata pera pasel vinasha wuna”
(preschools suffered huge destruction). The Children’s Secretariat got into action

34 Hemas Piyawara - A Journey to the Future